brain

Joseph LeDoux, world-renowned expert on the neurobiology of fear and anxiety, will discuss his new book, Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety on Tuesday, September 27 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, on the University at Albany’s uptown campus. Earlier that same day at 4:15 p.m., the author will hold an informal seminar in the Standish Room, Science Library on the uptown campus.

It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind?

In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the story of what happened next.

The New York Times has called our next guest - a “rock star” in the computer world.”

David Gelernter is an expert in the fields of parallel computing, “mirror worlds,” artificial intelligence, and cognitive thinking. His new book is The Tides of Mind, a revolutionary explanation of the phenomenon of human consciousness. In the book, he reminds us that no computer can ever replicate the Human Mind,

Gelernter will be in our region tomorrow for a pair of NYS Writer’s Institute events – a 4:15 Seminar and an 8PM reading – both at the Performing Arts Center on the Uptown Campus at the University at Albany in the Recital Hall.

He is the author of eight books including The Muse in the Machine, about teaching computers to experience emotion and write poetry and Mirror Worlds, a work that predicted the rise of the Internet. In1993 Gelernter was a victim of a mail bomb sent by the “Unabomber,” an experience he recounts in his book; Drawing Life: Surviving the Unabomber.

In The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge described the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years: the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience—what we call neuroplasticity.

His new book, The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity ,shows how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works.

Dr. Joseph Annibali has treated thousands of people with overloaded, over-stimulated brains. Some people describe their brain as being "in chaos"; others feel that their brain is "on fire." But whether they are ultimately diagnosed with "normal" anxiety, disabling OCD, depression, bipolar disorder, or even substance abuse, the underlying problem – according to our next guest - is a Too-Busy-Brain, a great irritant that interferes with attention, concentration, focus, mood, and often much more.

Dr. Annibali says it may even be a sign of undetected damage to either the brain or the body itself. But he believes through practical strategies and prescriptive mind-management techniques it is possible to reclaim their brains and get back in control of their lives. His new book is Reclaim Your Brain.

Looks Like Laury, Sounds Like Laury is one of the scariest films of the year, but it’s not a horror movie. It’s a loving documentary — a true story of a devastating decline. The subject is Laury Sacks, a lively actor and mother who in her mid-40s started struggling to speak. Her quick deterioration from a form of dementia affects everyone around her: family, caretakers, and a large group of friends who stand by her during the worst.

Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older. Those who do so tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. So why are many of us allowing our curiosity to wane?

Ian Leslie writes about the importance of curiosity in Curious: The Desire To Know And Why Your Future Depends On It.

The information age is drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we’re expected to make more—and faster—decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losing car keys or reading glasses, missing appointments, and feeling worn out by the effort required just to keep up.

In The Organized Mind, Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how those people excel—and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and time.

In Rewire: Change Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior, renowned psychotherapist Richard O’Connor, PhD, reveals exactly why our bad habits die so hard. We have two brains—one a thoughtful, conscious, deliberative self, and the other an automatic self that makes most of our decisions without our attention. Using new research and knowledge about how the brain works, the book clears a path to lasting, effective change for bad behaviors.

Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike -- strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents -- and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing.

In The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Sam Kean travels through time with stories of neurological curiosities: phantom limbs, Siamese twin brains, viruses that eat patients' memories, blind people who see through their tongues.

Expanding upon one of the most-read New York Times Magazine features of 2012, Smarterpenetrates the hot new field of intelligence research to reveal what researchers call a revolution in human intellectual abilities.

Shattering decades of dogma, scientists began publishing studies in 2008 showing that “fluid intelligence”—the ability to learn, solve novel problems, and get to the heart of things—can be increased through training.

After a full-throttle brain bleed at the age of twenty-five, Ashok Rajamani, a first-generation Indian American, had to relearn everything: how to eat, how to walk and to speak, even things as basic as his sexual orientation.